Many Patients Remain Awake During Surgeries: Study

Research found nearly 150 patients were awake during their surgery even after being given anesthesia in the last year in England and Ireland.

Experts from the Royal College of Anaesthetists and Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland looked at three million surgeries conducted in one year. They found over 300 patients reportedly experienced certain level of consciousness while being under the knife. Most of them were able to recollect their experiences but for some the memories were distorted or the wakefulness lasted for small period of time. Around 41 percent of those who said were awake during surgery had negative psychological effects.

The respondents said they endured panick because of pain or feeling of being paralyzed or unable to talk. One patients narrated her bafflement and fear when she gained partial consciousness during a dental surgery at age 12.

"I could hear voices around me and I realised with horror that I had woken up in the middle of the operation but couldn't move a muscle. While they fiddled, I frantically tried to decide whether I was about to die," the patient said sharing that her fear persisted for 15 years as nightmares where monster-like apparitions would emerge to paralyse her, reports the BBC News.

The study also noted these incidents commonly occurred in 90 percent of surgeries where muscle relaxant drugs were administered along with other anesthetic medications. An imbalance of drugs can stimulate wakefulness but keeps the patients paralyzed.

The researchers urge doctors and surgeons to discuss the effects of drugs and anesthetic medications with their patients before surgery to avert the risk of psychological trauma. They believe almost one in every 670 women who had C-section deliveries are likely to undergo this state. In addition, the results revealed about 17 cases where patients gained awareness due to drug errors.

"For the vast majority it should be reassuring that patients report awareness so infrequently. However for a small number of patients this can be a highly distressing experience. I hope this report will ensure anaesthetists pay even greater attention to preventing episodes of awareness," said Tim Cook, study author and researcher at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, reports the BBC News.